Wednesday, July 05, 2006

#53 "Looking Back, Going Forward, With Thanksgiving"

July 4, 2006"...we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (Colossians 1: 9-12)

I am so excited to be writing to you today! This week is very special because it marks the one year anniversary of "Tuesday's with Jesus". A little over a year ago, I had a Hosea 2: 14-15 experience and my life has never been the same. What do you mean by that, Donna? Well, let me briefly explain.

Hosea 2: 14 says, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." In May of 2005 I literally felt like I had been taken into the desert. Through a series of circumstances, God took the final step in confirming to me that I was to leave the ministry that I had been doing for the better part of five years and on top of that, He rendered me pretty much home-bound without any transportation. So here I sat, feeling pretty useless. Lest I get discouraged, my awesome Father started to "speak tenderly" to me right away. Right in the middle of that desert. He reminded me how for about a year before that He had been drawing me closer and closer to Himself. Giving me more intense revelation into His word. In fact, giving me a love and obsession for His Word like I'd never known before. He had been changing me, molding me, breaking me for a long time and for a purpose..His purpose. He then told me that I was not to be like the Dead Sea that takes in the water from the Jordan River but has no outlet streams. I was to share what I had been taught, release what I had been given, be a reservoir and a vessel fit for His purposes.

Along with this, God had given me a burden for spreading the love of Jesus Christ to believers and non-believers alike. God is so awesome and I felt so sad for those who I watched living below the level of their inheritance in Christ. There seemed to be such a lack of joy and peace, even among believers. Satan and the "cares of this world" just seemed to be getting the best of so many people. From this work that God was doing in my heart, and my dear husband, who came up with the title, "Tuesday's with Jesus" was born. Hosea 2:15 came alive in my life when God took my "Valley of Achor" (Achor means "trouble") and turned it into a door of hope.

Thank you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You have been so faithful to me. It's been a rough road. I haven't always enjoyed the potter's hands and the refining fire, but it has been so worth it. Continue to form my heart, transform my mind and conform my will to your perfect will for my life. Thank you for using ME! You know me as I truly am and you still want to use ME! You amaze me!

Thank you to my husband, the love of my life and my best friend, Chuck. You have been my human source of strength for the last fifteen years and my biggest supporter. You are truly my "double portion for my former shame."

Thank you to my children. To Michelle, who faithfully reads "Tuesday's" every week and is growing into a beautiful woman of God more and more with each passing day. Thank you to Kelly, Brian and Kyle who may not really understand fully what their mom is doing every day, but who support me and allow me the time and quiet that I need to study, research and write.

Thank you to each one who reads "Tuesday's" every week. You are absolutely the most integral part of this ministry family, and I value you so much. Thank you for your e-mails that let me know that God has spoken to you in a personal way through my writing. You are a great source of encouragement to me to keep pressing on and to continue to write. What began as an e-mail to a short list of friends has turned into a ministry to a large number of people through my list, through forwards, and through being featured in a webzine called "Handmaidens". God's word is going places that I couldn't have even imagined in the beginning. Into jail cells, rehab centers and even to the military overseas. Praise His Holy Name!

As this new year of ministry unfolds, I pray that I will be able to continue to spread the love of Jesus Christ and share the Gospel with words of encouragement and hope to people from all walks of life. John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came to give us life and have it to the full. The Amplified Bible says, "in abundance, to the full, until it overflows." I just want people to know that and better yet, experience it!!

Please keep me in your prayers as God has placed a very specific call on my life and I believe that 2006-07 will be the year to see that ministry begin. It's a big dream and a big vision, that's all I can say for now, but I serve a big God and He has given me a big promise. And I know that He's an Ephesians 3:20 God, able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ever ask or imagine.

Please pray that wherever God allows me to speak His word that He would give me a Hebrews 4:12 teaching. Pray that God keeps me in good health and gives me His strength to do His will. I covet your prayers for me and for my family during this exciting, yet risky time of transition. Would you agree to partner with me in prayer for the next year? If you are willing, please let me know. I would so appreciate it.

Thank you again for allowing me into your home each week for the last year. I will continue to pray for you, as I have, according to Colossians, Chapter 1, our verse for this week. I am exceedingly grateful for the privilege to serve you and share God's precious, perfect Word with you.

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About Me

Donna Schultz served God for many years in the area of outreach to the poor and homeless on the east side of Detroit, Michigan.
God has placed a call on Donna’s life to teach the Word of God in a practical way that can be easily put into practice in our daily lives.
Donna has an inspiring testimony of how the power of God can transform a person’s life. Having been raised in a dysfunctional home, and being a victim of verbal and emotional abuse, she has suffered the damaging effects of rejection, low self-esteem, self-destructive behavior and sin. Donna is able to relate to the problems that others face. Using the Word of God as the only guide, she teaches how the power of God, inherent in His Word, can make us all overcomers.
Donna is the author of a devotional blog called “Tuesdays with Jesus” which is being used in Bible studies and for personal use all over the US. Donna and her husband, Chuck, were married for twenty three years. Her husband passed away from cancer in January, 2015. They have six children and are the proud grandparents of Ashton, Brooklyn, Mason, Logan, Evie Grace, Isla, Charlotte, and Noah, who lives in Heaven with Jesus.